This particular project involved the conversion of a failed media filter to a suspended growth aeration system. The project was managed by Mr. Hal Lewis, P. Eng. of Stantec Consulting Limited.

Sani Tech Communal Systems was awarded the contract to design and construct the repair. Sani Tech retained the services of Mr. Robin Smith, P. Eng., of Robin Smith Engineering to provide the process design brief to be submitted to the Ministry of the Environment. Once the approval was granted, Sani Tech proceeded with the retrofit.

The existing tank consisted of a single tank approximately 30 metres in length, 3 metres wide and 2.5 metres deep. The tank had been poured in place and had a 300 mm thick roof. At one end, the filter media had rested in a raised section above the roof of the tank. This particular area was re-used for the foundation of the new control building. Inside this building now are the blowers and controls for all pumps in the system.

The Sani Tech supplied system utilized a Sani Tech Model SB26M nitrification / denitrification single sludge process based on the four-stage Bardenpho process. This process was selected as it uses the wastewater carbon to carry-out pre-denitrification thus minimizing the requirement for a carbon addition such as methanol to affect denitrification. Also, the primary denitrification stage, in advance of the nitrification stage, provides 50 percent of the alkalinity requirement for nitrification. Together with the source alkalinity present in the wastewater, the denitrification alkalinity will provide sufficient alkalinity to maintain a buffer and not inhibit complete nitrification either from alkalinity reduction or changes in pH.

The new tank walls were poured into the existing tank. The forms were lowered through openings cored in the existing tank roof. These 600 mm openings were subsequently used as access openings for the new system.A new clarifier tank was added for final clarification before being pumped to the leaching beds. Monitoring to date has shown BOD as low as undetectable. As the system approaches maturity, all results are anticipated to be excellent.

Related articles

In most developed countries, wastewater treatment plants are presently utilizing efficient purification technology meeting the sufficiency requirements of quality and quantity. However, in developing countries, the number of wastewater treatment plants is limited. As a result, the establishment of a connection between the wastewater collection system and wastewater purification plants is increasingly becoming a top priority for researchers. The aim of this article is to analyze wastewater collection and purificatio...

The combined effects of three independent variables (carrier filling ratio, aeration rate and reactor run time (RRT)) were evaluated in a continuous moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) through central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) for experimental design, analysis and process optimization for municipal wastewater treatment processes. A low-cost polystyrene biocarrier was designed and its efficiency in terms of organic and nutrient removal was evaluated in an MBBR. A mathematical–sta...

Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) and their variants are one the most widely used wastewater treatment systems in the world. However, the scarcity of systematic performance data from full-scale plants has led to challenges associated with their design. The objective of this research was to assess the performance of 388 full-scale WSP systems located in Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and the United States through the statistical analysis of available monitoring data. Descriptive statistics were calculated of the influent...

DEVISE ENGINEERING S.A. has designed, engineered and is currently producing a new series of State of the Art Portable Sewage Treatment Plants (PSTP), incorporating advanced Ultra-Filtration (MBR) technology.These Plants are used for multiple “emergency” & “short-term” purposes with the ability to re-use the treated effluent. The particular Portable STP can be easily installed in the designated site and if needed, it can be swiftly relocated by standard platform trucks, deployed and be...

Customer comments

No comments were found for Retro-Fit - Conversion of a Failed Media Filter to a Suspended Growth Aeration System case study. Be the first to comment!